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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – According to new research, lowering blood pressure can prevent Alzheimer's disease.
The study, conducted on more than 9,000 participants in their 50s, found that those whose blood pressure was lower than that recommended were 5% less likely to have memory problems.
They were also less likely to die of dementia by about one-sixth (15%), a figure that can be kept for a short time of illness.
"Proving that lowering blood pressure can reduce the risk of dementia could be critical to improving the lives of millions of people around the world," said Dr. Maria Carrio, scientific leader of the Alzheimer Society.
Participants who lowered their blood pressure to less than 120, instead of 140, were 19% less likely to develop moderate cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition that often leads to dementia and showed fewer signs of a brain badysis.
Lead investigator Jeff Williamson, a gynecologist at Wake Forest College of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, believes a lower blood pressure than usual could be the key to fighting the number dementia, and emphasized the need to encourage action. On lowering blood pressure, in order to reduce the incidence of moderate cognitive decline, defined as poor memory and thinking skills, known risk factor for dementia.
"In this study, we found that only three years of lowering blood pressure not only helped the heart, but also helped improve brain function," Dr. Williamson said.
The research involved 9,361 volunteers from all over the United States and Puerto Rico diagnosed with high blood pressure but no diabetes or stroke.
The researchers sought to reduce their blood pressure to less than 120 mm Hg, through intensive treatment including medications and lifestyle modifications, and found that after 5 years they Had suffered no impairment of cognitive function, moderate cognitive impairment or dementia. Research halted early because of the success of the experiment in reducing cardiovascular disease.
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